This Celebrity Lash Expert Gave Me the Best Beauty Advice of My Life
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My big eyes are my favorite feature, but I've struggled with mascara my whole life. It's not necessarily that I can't find one that I like. At any given time, you're likely to find at least 15 mascara tubes in my makeup vanity, ranging from the drugstore option Blake Lively loves to a splurge-worthy luxe option by Chanel. It's more so the effort it takes to apply five coats just right, just to spend five minutes scrubbing it all off with micellar water at the end of the night. No one talks about the time investment of mascara. It's exhausting.
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After years, and hundreds of tubes of $9 L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara, I've dreamed of getting eyelash extensions, but I was too scared and skeptical about the process. Then, nearly every single beauty editor I've ever spoken to couldn't stop talking about celebrity lash expert Clementina Richardson. Richardson is the founder of Envious Lashes, which every beauty editor, influencer, and fashion girl in the know will tell you is the only place to get your lashes done. She's obviously also an InStyle beauty boss, her lash advice is touted as the beauty bible (IYKYK), and her products are the holy grail. When I finally decided to pay her a visit, she told me the most revolutionary lash advice I've ever heard in my entire life and gave me the most incredible eyelash extension set ever.
Having never gotten eyelash extensions before, I was nervous at first, but Richardson immediately put me at ease as she walked me through the process on the third floor of her salon on E 42nd Street. Richardson studied my face quickly and suggested I get a "Forced Cat Eye," which is her signature style. As a cat eye enthusiast, I knew I had to get it, and an hour later when everything was done, I gasped. My eyelashes had never looked so voluminous or long, and I was so happy I wanted to cry.
Richardson's process is far from simple, and it's an artform she's mastered over the years, perfecting the eyelashes of celebrities like Mary J. Blige. But when she tries to explain it to me, it sounds easy. She applies the lashes so that the outer corners of the eyes appear to turn upward, thus giving them an almond appearance. Richardson even commented that I looked younger, which I agree with. The lash extensions snatched my face in a way I didn't know possible.
Going in for an appointment at this point is routine, and like clock-work, I'm there every two weeks. It has quickly become my happy place, and I never feel as confident as when I step out the door with a fresh set. Every person I run into compliments my lashes almost instantly these days and decides to make their Envious Lashes appointment ASAP, as they should.
Fortunately for those who'd like to visit in person, a location just opened up in Miami's Brickell neighborhood, which means everyone in Miami is about to get a major eyelash glow-up. Thankfully now you have three locations to choose from, and if you happen to find yourself in Miami for the weekend, you know what to do.
The location is bound to be booked up for weeks on end like the New York locations, and it's absolutely worth the trip to Miami alone. Trust me when I say your lashes will thank you. I'd travel to the ends of the earth for Richardson's magic lash touch, and everyone whose ever been to Envious Lashes feels the same.
